I have great respect for the pool of experts and talent who are members of LinkedIn.

However, I find the LinkedIn interface clumsy, cumbersome, and often, wrong.

Here is a collection of errors and inconsistencies collected from LinkedIn.

Cannot reply to message

Got a message on Yahoo Mail, but it didn't load

So I tried to reply on LinkedIn

but I was prompted to log in

(although I was already loggged in, AND the login screen kept appearing... a sub-bug?)

and when I viewed my sent messages, the reply was not there

Social Networking sites like Google+ and LinkedIn are fantastic - but often they #fail in their UI/UX. I collect and report foibles on LinkedIn already. Here are some on Google+ (bet you saw this coming!) View my stream on Google+

Can't Add Circle - Come Back Tomorrow (and the next day, and the next...)

I tried "tomorrow" (today) and got the same message. It's like those signs in bars that say:

Free Beer! Come Back Tomorrow!

Can't Plus Google+

I used to be able to add Google+ to a post, I saw others add it today as a +link; it's not because it's public, tried without that...

I joined Empire Avenue yesterday because Chris Pirillo (e)Pirillo recommended it on Google+ for people who already use social networks to promote themselves and their businesses.

It's kind of fun, investing virtual scrip (eaves) in other people and getting invested in and meeting new people. It could easily become an obsession, there the obsessed are stars, not trolls.

It connects with your activity and network on Twitter, Facebook, foursquare, LinkedIn, Instagram, Flickr, G+ etc.

I also added this blog there, so here's the code to promote my RSS feed to an offical Blog on Empire Avenue: {EAV:7b7cbef88863e3fa}

Oh yeah, there's my ticker in the right sidebar ►→→→→→→→

The question:

Is Incompetence Widespread?

During a discussion with a LI colleague we discussed incompetence. The issue came up when we discussed the credibility of an institution. I thought the institution had credibility, I only questioned the competence of select staff members. His response, "Incompetence is widespread." After a smile and a laugh, I though about it...is it really widespread?

My answer:

By answering I risk exposing my incompetence. Ah well, forge on!

As a web developer I need to pay careful attention to the UI because most computer users do not think like programmers and the interface needs to be not only intuitive but also sensible, and guide them in case they do the unexpected. Does that make them incompetent? Perhaps in the eyes of the elite who assume that the "average Joe" knows that cookies are not edible and Walmart does not accept cache.

On a recent job, I had to edit the copy that was provided because the writer used "effect" instead of "affect" and did not match the verb to the number of the subject. On another project, a writer helpfully wrote praise for Ben Franklin for Presidents Day.

My only solace is seeing the teens industriously texting (or maybe sexting) all around, which must be a boost for literacy, however "eubonic."

One of my most eye-opening experiences was letting a class of 3rd graders loose on a quiz application I developed - I thought I anticipated most errors, but they found ten more ways to break it I never imagined!

In summation, competence is in the eye of the beholder, and I have suffered from foot-in-mouth complications frequently enough to know that I am not above being wrong, and yes, sometimes incompetent.

Adrienne Sasson wrote:

Randall,

Thank you for such a cheerful answer. At this time, you have not exposed any incompetence.

Of course, none of us are above it all and we all make errors. It's is just that some don't know when to say, oops, I screwed up, even when shown.

Keep forging on!

Adrienne